


let us not talk falsely now

by genesis_frog



Series: a vine of ivy's pushing her way through (widobrave week 2020) [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Backstory, Character Study, Gen, Parallels, Pre-Stream (Critical Role)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23177896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genesis_frog/pseuds/genesis_frog
Summary: They don't lie, per se; they learn to speak around the truth.(widobrave week day 2: cons)
Relationships: Nott & Caleb Widogast
Series: a vine of ivy's pushing her way through (widobrave week 2020) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666243
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	let us not talk falsely now

Veth and Bren both learned well: the best lies are half-truths.

Veth picked that lesson up on her own, after she'd swiped a pretty little pocket knife out of her older brother's belongings. It had taken him several hours to realize it was gone, and once he had he was furious. He’d stormed up to her and demanded to know if she had it, and Veth said _no_ , and he, grumbling, stomped away to harass one of their other brothers. She breathed in slowly; it wasn’t a lie. In truth, she did not have the knife _with her_ , as it was safely tucked away in a stash of her collections.

And Bren, well, Bren learned in a classroom: how to lie, how to blend in undercover, how to be interrogated. Bren took notes on half-truths and technicalities. Bren lived in loopholes, nearly nameless and faceless except for the impending banner of the Vollstrecker hanging above his head like the sword of Damocles.

And then, well, Veth drowns and Bren burns and they're both left truly nameless. She runs and wanders; he cries and runs and hides. She steals and lies - _but is it a lie if she leads them to believe she's not a goblin? Is it a lie to suggest she's a halfling?_ He tricks and lies - _but is it a lie if his magic is happening right there before your very eyes?_ She makes a mask out of a doll, he makes a mask of filth and facial hair. This is fine, this is who they are.

Fate brings them together in a cell, faceless except for the masks they’ve made, and then she asks:

"What's your name?"

And he says,

"Call me Caleb Widogast. And you are?"

And she responds,

"I'm Nott. Nott the Brave."

And neither one of them have lied once.

**Author's Note:**

> (title from "all along the watchtower" by bob dylan)
> 
> me: ah yes, cons, i will write about lying and make it a character study! and then day 4 will be focused on their cons :)


End file.
